Goodbye to red-eared sliders?

I’ve always been a fan of turtles. I grew up surrounded by dozens of little mud and musk turtles, painted turtles, map turtles, box turtles, and, of course, the turtle that every pet shop had by the dozens: red-eared sliders. I learned rather recently that they, like the insidious Cuban tree frogs and iguanas, are non-native species to Florida, wreaking havoc on natural systems.

Now, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has set new rules regarding these once-popular pets: they can be pets no more. According to their website:

People who possess red-eared sliders acquired before July 1, 2007, may keep those specimens without a permit until they are legally transferred or disposed of. After July 1, 2008, however, no one may have a red-eared slider as a pet that is less than 4 inches in size. Those owning the turtles legally may not allow them to reproduce, and all eggs must be destroyed.

Given the numbers of red-eared sliders I’ve seen throughout the state, in waterways and in parks, under human control and not … I do wonder how a person “may not allow them to reproduce”?